The North America Region Meets

Thursday evening and all day Friday, delegates participated in Regional Consultations. Almost 40 Council members, advisors, youth, observers, and women Bishops and leaders met as part of the North America region.

Official Updates from LWF Council Meetings

Press conferences are held almost daily during LWF Council meetings. A daily summary of information on the proceedings is available at the following links:

March 20
March 21
March 22

CELEBRATING 60 YEARS OF LWF

Winnipeg, 15 March 2007–Reflecting on the theme, “Living in Communion in the World Today”, leaders, delegates, youth and observers from 140 member Lutheran churches will gather in Lund, Sweden for the 2007 Lutheran World Federation (LWF) Council meeting, a Church Leadership Consultation and a global celebration of 60 Years of LWF. As a member of LWF, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada (ELCIC) will have a number of individuals in attendance.Representation from the ELCIC at the council meetings will include National Bishop Raymond Schultz and the Rev. Dr. David Pfrimmer, Principle Dean of Waterloo Lutheran Seminary. The Rev. Susan Johnson, Assistant to the Bishop of the Eastern Synod of the ELCIC, will attend all LWF council meetings as an advisor and the Rev. Paul Johnson, Assistant to the National Bishop for Ecumenical Relations, will attend this time as an official observer.

LWF Council will meet starting on March 20, with the global celebration of the 60th Anniversary of LWF taking place on March 24 and 25. Meetings and gatherings will include church leaders, youth, regional coordinators for the Women’s Desk, as well as gathering of women bishops and presidents – including ELCIC’s Saskatchewan Synod Bishop Cindy Halmarson and Manitoba/Northwestern Ontario Synod Bishop Elaine Sauer. A consultation on Fundamentalism and regional LWF consultations will also comprise part of the agenda time for many.

“The 2007 meeting in Lund, where the institution of the Lutheran World Federation began 60 years ago, will look very different from that of 1947,” says National Bishop Schultz. “Most of the first participants were white male clergy. Many of this year’s participants will come from the global south and there will be a substantial presence of women and youth. Photos of 60 years ago show processions of people dressed in black. Photos this year will be ablaze with colour and cultural art!”

Almost 500 individuals are expected to be in Lund for the coming events. Of the 40 participants attending on behalf of the North American Region of LWF, 14 participants will be attending in conjunction with the ELCIC’s participation, including six individual from Canadian Lutheran World Relief (CLWR).

The LWF is a global communion of Christian churches in the Lutheran tradition. Founded in 1947 in Lund, Sweden, the LWF currently has 140 member churches in 78 countries all over the world, with a total membership of nearly 66.7 million. The LWF acts on behalf of its member churches in areas of common interest such as ecumenical and interfaith relations, theology, humanitarian assistance, human rights, communication, and the various aspects of mission and development work. Its secretariat is located in Geneva, Switzerland.

Information on the LWF proceedings, as well as reflections and highlights from ELCIC attendees at the meetings and celebrations will be available through the ELCIC-LWF 60th Anniversary Blog site: http://www.elcicatlwf.wordpress.com

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The Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada is Canada’s largest Lutheran denomination with 174,555 baptized members in 620 congregations. It is a member of the Lutheran World Federation, the Canadian Council of Churches and the World Council of Churches.

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